A busy wife, mother and teacher navigating through life in Target shoes and designer handbags.

This is my 9th year of teaching but I don’t feel like a pro by any means. I am always learning, always growing, and forever changing something. For this reason, I still get super nervous on the day before the first day.

The night before the first day of school I always have a hard time sleeping. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I am full of so many different emotions that I find it almost impossible to sleep. I feel excitement for the new memories I will make, nervousness for the possibility of problems, and even a little fear. Being a teacher is hard. We are expected to be so much for our students and perform so many different jobs. It can be both mentally and physically exhausting. There have been many times that I considered giving up but I persevered. I focused on the fact that I felt like I had been given a gift to teach. I focused on the fact that my smiling face and warm hugs may the only ones that they would receive all year. I focused on the fact that my words of encouragement could help them through the most impossible of situations. Now here I am, about to begin my 9th year of teaching and I am just as nervous as I was during year one. I know, however, that I am not alone in feeling these nerves. I know that there are 25+ Kindergarten babies getting ready to come to school and see me on their very first day, that are feeling those exact same nerves. So since I found it hard to sleep, I decided to write a letter to my new students.

To My Kindergarten Babies,

Let me start by saying that I am honored to be your teacher. God put us in each other’s lives for a reason I am so excited to see His perfect plan unfold. I know that with His help and guidance, this is going to be a great year.

I can imagine that you are unbelievably scared and nervous. It must be hard to enter such a big school, leaving your Mom, Dad, and younger sibling behind to learn all about your letters and numbers. So many of you have never attended PreK so I can imagine that this is very overwhelming. I want you to know that is perfectly normal to feel scared and nervous. I feel those same emotions every time I step foot into this classroom. I try so hard to be the best teacher possible for you and that can be a very exhausting job. I am constantly making plans, finding resources, and changing around my classroom to make sure that you are getting the best from me. It is very scary to think that if I make a mistake, I am held directly responsible for potentially messing up your education. I would NEVER want anything like that to happen so I am always trying to be my best for you.

When I say that I am going to be my best, I mean that I am going to be the best in all that I do. First and foremost, I am going to be the best teacher possible, but I will not stop at just teaching. I am going to be friend to you when someone says something that may not be so nice. I am going to be your nurse and bandage your knee when you fall down. I am going to be your coach and encourage you to do your best. I am going to be like a Mother and hug you when you are sad.

I promise to be all that you need me to be in the few hours that you are with me each day. Life is hard but I will try so hard to make it that much better for you. Please know that if I do have to fuss, I am coming from a place of love and compassion. I only want what is best from you and sometimes that means that we have to stop playing and listen. I hope you never feel like I don’t care because in truth, I love each of you as if you were my own children. I promise to do everything I possibly can to keep you safe and healthy while you are in my care. In our classroom we are a family.

If you get upset, I ask that you please tell me. I want to know if I have hurt your feelings so that I can make necessary changes to be better for you. I am not perfect and will make mistakes so I hope that you will teach me and help me to be better during those times. Just as you will need me, I will also need you.

Even though we will only be together for a short time, our lives will forever be touched by one another and for that, I thank you. The chance to be your teacher is already making me into a better person. You are impacting my life more than you will ever know and I will remember each and every one of you for many years.

I leave you with one final thought. Today, you are beginning your educational journey. You are about to spend the next thirteen years learning and discovering who you want to make of your life. I want to encourage you to dream big. I want you to become more than you ever could have imagined. Today is the first day of the rest of your life and you have a chance to make it into anything. Never give up, work hard, and always persevere. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that are not enough. You don’t need that negativity in your life. I want you to remember that I think you are enough. You are smart, loving, and kind and are going to grow up to be an amazing person. Don’t ever forget that! And if for some reason you do forget, come back and see me and I will try to help you remember.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life and I believe that you are going to become a truly phenomenal person.

And one more time so you don’t forget, you are enough.

Mrs. Fowler

To all of my teacher friends, and all of the other teachers in the world, I wish you all an amazing school year. I hope that you and your students grow in more ways than you ever thought possible. With the right encouragement, we really can mold these little minds to change the world and that is truly amazing!

Summer is just moments away from ending and school seems like it is approaching so quickly, but I am all for living in the moment and only accepting the fact that summer is over when it is actually over. You have to live with the glass half full perspective because if you don’t life can too often seem boring and almost depressing and I want to make sure that I am showing my daughter that living a happy, full ‘glass half full’ life is very, very important. So, with that being said, today I want to share with you how I am making the most of the rest of the summer! I thought it would be fun and productive to create a list of five summer goals to accomplish. I urge you all to do the same, in order to get the most out of these next couple of weeks. Here is my list:

Soak in the summer

I want to do all things summer related. So, you will probably find me eating watermelon, going to the pool, wearing all of the summer clothes, and playing with chalk outside. If you have already knocked out your summer to do list, I highly recommend making another one. Be creative and think outside the box – there really are so many fun things that you can do in the summer! If you hop over to Pinterest and type in summer bucket list, you are sure to find many fantastic lists. A few ideas that you can find on Pinterest are playing in the sprinkler, having a picnic, going to an outdoor concert, watching a movie in a drive-in theatre, dancing in the rain, and making frozen hot chocolate.

Be intentional

Because summer is ending so quickly, I want to make the most of it by being intentional. I believe that it is important to be intentional with what you do on an everyday basis, but in our generation with social media, technology, and other distractions, it can be very hard to actually accomplish this each day. If you have trouble staying intentional throughout the day, you could help yourself out by setting guidelines. Maybe set times where you can check social media, or talk on the phone, wake up early instead of sleeping the day away, and maybe even plan some rest time for yourself.

Make time for myself

I know I touched on this a bit above, but I wanted to talk about it more. Being a mom is a really amazing job and I am so lucky to do it each and every day, but what a lot of moms forget to do is to actually make time for themselves. Our kids are constantly relying on us and our health, mindset, and strength should be constantly taken care of. Having time for yourself is important so that you can re-charge each and every day. This may look different from person to person, but a few ways that you can make time for yourself is by taking a bubble bath, scheduling a massage, reading, watching your favorite TV show, or even going to workout.

Start dreaming of our new house

As some of you know, we are currently building a home in Savannah, Georgia and I am so excited about it! I’ve already been dreaming about it for a while now, but all of the progress that has been made in the past couple of weeks has gotten me so thrilled for the move! Searching for home decor has never been better and it is just so much fun. One thing I am considering is adding window films to our windows. Apparently, they are used for a few different reasons. For starters, window films add a decorative effect to ‘normal’ windows, which would be nice. They can take an ordinary window and make it look extremely unique by adding a textured look. This also adds more privacy in your home! Another great bonus of window tinting is the fact that it can help prevent excessive heat and cold, and it can also prevent harmful UV rays from entering your home. According to UHS Window Tinting and Blinds, “Since 2003, we’ve been helping residential home owners get the best protection from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Radiation from the sun is divided into three components: light that we can see, and infrared and UV rays that we can only feel. As the sun strikes glass, the window film acts as a shield that blocks harmful UV rays, as well as regulates the amount of heat that passes through the glass. In turn, the interior of your office or home will have a more comfortable temperature, even without increasing the cooling or air conditioning capacity in the room. By simply having a window film on your glass doors and windows, you can be protected from the sun and reduce your energy costs at the same time.”

Focus on health

It is easy to get off-track health and nutrition goals in the summer. It has been so hot in Georgia lately and all it seems like I have been wanting is ice cream and refreshing drinks such as sugar-filled sweet tea. You just cannot get more refreshing than that! In these next couple of weeks, I hope to get fully back on-track when it comes to my health and I am very excited to start the next school year off strong and healthy!

How are you making the best of the end of your summer? I would love to hear from you! Let me know in the comments below!

Also, in case you wanted, here are the links to shop my outfit or similar styles:

The post is sponsored by GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students; however, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a teacher, one of the things that I value the most is the education of my own child. When my sweet Vivilyn was still growing inside of my belly I was constantly thinking about what I was going to do for her childcare. I wanted an organization that I could trust as well as one that would provide her with the tools to be successful once she entered school. While searching the internet one day I happened to stumble upon Quality Rated.org.

Quality Rated.org is a unique website that offers parents the chance to search through child care options in the state of Georgia. There is over 5,000 state licensed and monitored child care programs within the state and finding the perfect fit for you family can be a daunting task. With their free search tool, parents can search for childcare options based on price, distance, services offered and a Quality Rated child care programs. You can even search for a child care facility that is on your commute by clicking the “Search Along A Route” option!

Once you have searched for facilities that meet your initial criteria you can easily access each child care program’s safety and inspection reports, opening hours, prices, teacher credential and transportation options.

Quality Rated that I mentioned earlier helps parents identify child care programs within the state of Georgia that are highly quality. Child care facilities can choose to participate in the Quality Rated program. Once in the program, each child care is independently evaluated by qualified early childhood education experts to ensure that they are following the current best practices. It also ensures that they are committed to continually improving their centers and the education they offer. As a teacher, I can assure you that the realm of education is constantly changing. Over time we have learned what programs work, what children need and what is required to meet those needs. It is comforting to see that so many child care facilities in the state are working to improve what they offer to their children so they are always receiving the best possible education.

Quality Rated.org assigns stars to early education and school-age care programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements. Some things that look at to determine the star rating include:

Employing qualified and well-trained teachers

Providing a safe, healthy and caring environment

Implementing individualized instruction

Offering a curriculum that prepares children for kindergarten

A focus on both active learning and social-emotional development

Engaging families

Providing a low teacher-student ratio

A program can earn one, two, or three stars depending on the standards and benchmarks that they meet. The ratings are as follows:

One star – Program has demonstrated a commitment to meeting standards that exceed state health and safety requirements, meets several quality benchmarks, and scores sufficiently on the independent observation.

Two stars– Program has demonstrated a commitment to meeting standards that exceed state health and safety requirements, meets many quality benchmarks, and scores well on the independent observation.

Three stars – Program has demonstrated a commitment to meeting standards that exceed state health and safety requirements, meets numerous quality benchmarks, and scores high on the independent observation.

Another thing that I love about the Quality Rated tool is that it allows you to look at all Child Care providers in the state, even if they are not Quality Rated. This includes licensed and license-exempt child care providers in Georgia. For each of them you get a comprehensive overview so that you can make the best possible child care choice for your child. This includes all child care providers, pre-k programs and summer camps within the state of Georgia.

As parents, we have enough on our plates to worry about choosing a child care provider for our child. Let Quality Rated.org help you out and take the guess work out of how to best meet your needs! Have you heard of Quality Rated.org? What do you consider when making a child care choice? Is your child’s child care Quality Rated? Click HERE to use the tool and find out! Let me know! I always love to hear from you!

Disclaimer: Dress worn in this blog post was courtesy of Little Adventures Dress Ups. Vivi is wearing the Queen of Hearts dress in a size small. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Those are all the things that come to mind when I watch my sweet daughter run around Toys ‘R’ Us. It is sad to think that in just a few years, my daughter will never remember visiting a Toys “R” Us location.

These last few years, we have seen so much growth in our economy. New stores, restaurants and hotels seem to be popping up every other week in my city. It is sad that even though we have seen so much growth, a huge part of so many of our childhood is coming to an end.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably seen that all of Toys ‘R’ Us stores will be closing in a very short time. In the short time that I have had my daughter we have thoroughly enjoyed all of our visits to this amazing store. When I first found out that I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to register at Babys ‘R’ Us. When it came time for me to register I remember walking around the store with that scanner, thinking about all of the things that I would need for Vivi. It was so exciting to think about her strolling around in her car seat, eating in her high chair, and carrying around all of her necessities in her diaper bag. As she got older, we would take her to actually play with the toys. We have always let Vivi have fun running around, playing with all of the displays and picking out a special surprise. It became a must-do on our trips into Savannah and it was something that my little family always enjoyed.

When I found out that the store was closing, I knew that I needed to make just one more trip to document such a nostalgic part of childhood. There will be no other words to this post to read. It was simply meant to capture this sweet, sweet moment from my daughter’s childhood. I hope that she enjoys this memory because I will definitely miss the excitement on her face walking through the doors of our Toys ‘R’ Us store.

Hello my Beautiful Friends! Life has been so absolutely crazy lately and I just wanted to take the time to fill all of you in!

First up, I am done with school for the summer! Teaching is hard and definitely a stressful job so I always look forward to those few weeks in the summer when I can take some time for myself. We have a family vacation to Disney planned in just one short week, we are planning to go to Charleston for my birthday, and I am hoping that we can squeeze in weekend trip to Gatlinburg. I will also be majorly catching up on my blog, all 11 drafts that I have in progress, and planning out new centers for my classroom. I may have 7 weeks off, but I will be busy for most of those!

Another exciting change is that we sold out house! We are currently living with my parents while our dream house is being built. We will finally have some extra, much needed space, and I will have a closet room! Stay tuned for some fun updates on the house and full post on how I edit and organize my closet room. As of last week the foundation had been poured and the frame had been built. Next step is insulation and dry wall! We meet with our builders the first week of June and I we will hopefully find out our closing date. This is such exciting time in our lives and I cannot wait to see what exciting things are still coming in our future.

Vivi is growing like a weed and has developed the cutest little personality. She is very particular about what she likes and is not afraid to tell you “No!” She has an obsession with all things tiny so at any given time our floors are covered with Shopkins, Hatchimals and LOL Dolls. She has also discovered “Cookie Swirl C” videos on YouTube. Those videos are both annoying and extremely addicting! I find myself being sucked in wondering what Shopkins she is going to get in her blind bag or if her LOL Doll will be a limited edition. Clearly I missed my calling in life and should be making videos of unwrapping Shopkins my profession.

It is also getting so much warmer here in Savannah. I feel like we went straight from Winter to Summer. We are already seeing temperatures in the nineties so I know that it is going to be a long, hot summer. The plus side is that I have been able to pull out all of my cute dresses, off the shoulder tops, and fun sandals. I am loving all of the trends for this spring and summer. They are making my inner 90s girl so happy. Give me all of the wide leg, high waisted jeans and platform sandals!

This outfit was from earlier in the spring before the temperatures got significantly higher. I love this light-weight Members Only jacket and feel like it will be great for cooler summer nights. The fact that Members Only is still around making classic jackets also makes my inner 90s girl so happy! The pink color is a fun touch and I love how it gives a more casual vibe to my outfit. I paired it with one of my favorite pairs of jeans, the cutest blush mules, and a comfy tunic. To finish off the look, I added sunglasses, a pair of fun earrings, and my absolute favorite clutch from the Studio DIY Can’t Clutch This subscription. I mean a Toaster Pastry Clutch? Yes Please!

I am really hoping to get on a schedule, or at least catch up, on my blog this summer so if there is anything that you want to see or hear about, please do not hesitate to let me know! I always love to hear from you! I will also have a series of posts after my Disney trip so let me know what you want to hear about and I will be sure to snap the right pictures or uncover the right secrets! I am also planning my first video tutorial so if you have any filming or video tips, please let me know!

I hope you all have a great start to your summer and that you are making the most of every moment! Thank you for being such amazing followers! I appreciate all of you more than you know!

Whether your retirement is a couple of years or a couple of decades away, it is never too early, or too late, to start dreaming about and preparing for it. Traditionally, retirement planning has focused on saving money and building financial security. However, studies have found that having a vision for the future and planning for that vision are as important as money in achieving a fulfilling retirement experience.

Retirement satisfaction is typically linked to several factors: having a clear vision of retirement goals, early financial planning, continued engagement, and activity throughout retirement, financial preparation and professional advice.

The importance of planning for a meaningful retirement has increased as life expectancy has improved. According to an Actuarial statistics study*, the baby boomer generation is expected to live longer than any previous generation. In fact, it is anticipated that over half of the people alive today will likely live to be 82 years or older. When you consider even further advancements in modern medicine that will affect Generation Xers and Millennials in their old age, it is likely that people will be living a lot longer than previously thought possible. Unlike their elders, many people can look forward to living for several decades – as opposed to several years – in retirement. (*Source: Life Tables for the United States Social Security Area 1900-2100. Actuarial Study No. 116 by Felicitie C. Bell and Michael L. Miller.)

While most people would agree that envisioning their retirement dreams is an important part of planning for the future, many of us may not know where to start or how to do it. One often overlooked suggestion involves writing down your vision for the ideal Retirement. It is based on the premise that those who write down their goals are much more likely to achieve them.

Written goals are much more concrete and tangible. In order to write them down, you are forced to think through the details. And, the simple act of writing down your goals adds a certain level of accountability. This is a technique that has been used by entrepreneurs from Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) to Daymond John from NBC’s Shark Tank. Once your goals are on paper, they are out there for the world to see, and there is no going back.

By answering thought-provoking questions about your individual vision and passions, you will uncover the attitudes, values and aspirations that drive your unique goals. This can help you develop a “retirement roadmap” in order to prepare both emotionally and financially for your future. During retirement, you can use these same questions to re-envision and re-evaluate your goals as you consider your experiences, challenges and worries as a retiree. The questions below can help you get clarity around your goals and dreams, and ultimately allow you to identify the necessary steps to get you there.

What do you look forward to doing in retirement? – Possibilities to explore include spending time with family and friends, going back to school, doing volunteer work, starting a new business, staying healthy and fit, and traveling.

Where do you dream of going? – Consider possible destinations and activities, how you would like to travel, how much traveling you would like to do and who you would like to travel with.

Where do you see yourself living? – Where you live significantly impacts your costs in retirement. Do you want to be part of a community? Do you want to try a new climate or lifestyle? Do you want to live in multiple locations? Consider whether you want to stay close to your current home, move closer to family, or relocate near activities you love.

How do you want to make your lasting mark? – Your legacy is what is important to you and what you want to pass on to others. Leaving a legacy can mean many things including passing on your assets, your values or the lessons you’ve learned. Consider what gives you a sense of satisfaction and how you can have a lasting impact.

After you have explored your dreams for retirement, you will want to consider how to turn those dreams into reality. Working with a financial planner can help you with your retirement vision. Research has shown that people who seek help from an advisor are generally more positive in their outlook for retirement. Having a written financial plan is one of the likely reasons for this.

Fulfillment in retirement is not just about getting the money right; it’s about having a vision, remaining connected to community and living your dream. Consider working with the Atlanta Wealth Management Firm of Benedetti, Gucer & Associates. They can help you envision your retirement lifestyle and create a financial plan to attain that goal.

With all of that taken care of, you can do less worrying about the future and more frolicking through the fields. I don’t know about you, but I would choose field frolicking any day over worry!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post with Benedetti, Gucer & Associates. Affiliate links are used and I may receive a small commission.

DISCLOSURES

The views expressed represent the opinions of Benedetti, Gucer & Associates and are subject to change. These views are not intended as a forecast, a guarantee of future results, investment recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any securities. The information provided is of a general nature and should not be construed as investment advice or to provide any investment, tax, financial or legal advice or service to any person.

Additional information, including management fees and expenses, is provided on Benedetti, Gucer & Associates’ Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request.

The use of the term “RIA” does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

The Five Star program is the largest and most widely published wealth manager award program in North America. The research process for the Five Star Wealth Manager firms and peers nominate award candidates. Award candidates are evaluated against 10 objective criteria to determine the Five Star Wealth Managers in more than 40 major markets. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the adviser by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation.

t feel like I say this with each new collection, but Kendra Scott has seriously out done herself with her Summer 2018 collection. Vibrant colors, geometric shapes, and fun tassels will have your jewelry shining brighter than the sun all summer long!

For this release, I decided to team up with some of my favorite Blogger Babes to share our favorite pieces. Kendra Scott has always made beautiful jewelry but I feel like when you are able to see it with an outfit, instead of just on a shelf, it makes so much more of a statement. The pieces come to life and you are able to start thinking about how you would style them in your own wardrobe. You go from wanting a piece of jewelry to needing to add that statement to your own collection. Together with my friends, we tried to bring the pieces to life. To show their movement, highlight their colors, and showcase their versatility. These pieces will become staples in your wardrobe.

So who are these fabulous blogger babes? I am sure you recognize Julia of Glitter & Juls. She is one of my best friends and has made frequent appearances on my blog and Instagram. The blonde cutie is Kailey of Little Miss Payne. She has quickly become one of my closest friends and I am so thankful for her friendship and support. We all met up at the gorgeous Kendra Scott store on Broughton Street, picked out our favorites, and our friend Hilary, of Hilary Hull Photography, captured the magic. I hope you enjoy the pictures. We had so much fun and really fell even more in love with the pieces. I will link all of our favorites and I encourage you to add some to your own collection.

These earrings are amazing because you can change the earring to fit your style. Choose one, two, or three tassels to achieve your desired link. You can also by pairs in multiple colors and mix-up the tassel colors for a completely different look.

I hope you were able to find something that you love. All of the pieces are beautiful and I know that you will love them in your collection. Let me know what pieces are your favorite! I always love to hear from you!